Black Tornado powers past Roseburg

Tuesday

Apr 9, 2013 at 12:10 AMApr 9, 2013 at 12:17 AM

ROSEBURG — North Medford's softball team continued to flex its muscles Monday, blasting two more home runs to bring the team's total to 13 already this season during a 6-1 win at Roseburg in Southern Oregon Hybrid action.

ROSEBURG — North Medford's softball team continued to flex its muscles Monday, blasting two more home runs to bring the team's total to 13 already this season during a 6-1 win at Roseburg in Southern Oregon Hybrid action.

Black Tornado senior Maryssa Becker delivered a two-run home run in the sixth inning for her seventh round-tripper in 14 games, while junior Alexis Barkwell smacked a solo shot in the fifth for her fourth this season.

"Those two kids, they swing the bat pretty hard," said North Medford head coach Mike Mayben. "We haven't had this kind of power up and down the lineup in the eight years I've been here. We've got probably five or six kids that can put it out in a given time."

North Medford improved to 13-1 overall and 5-0 in SOH play in a makeup game that was postponed earlier this season due to rain. Roseburg fell to 5-3 and 1-1.

Becker finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, with Maddie Gates supplying a key RBI single to right field in the fourth inning to give North Medford a 2-0 lead. Joci Ellis scored twice for the Tornado.

Becker also finished with 17 strikeouts and no walks to go with one hit batter. Her only hit allowed was a solo homer by Makinna Akers in the sixth inning.

CASCADE CHRISTIAN 16, UMPQUA VALLEY CHRISTIAN 5, 5 inn. — Luke Dusenbury belted his first home run of the season to highlight a seven-run first inning for Cascade Christian en route to the nonleague win at U.S. Cellular.

Dusenbury's homer was a two-run shot and he finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs for the Challengers (6-3) against Umpqua Valley Christian (9-3).

GOLD BEACH 13-4, ROGUE RIVER 3-5 — At Gold Beach, Rogue River's Kollen Roohr scored the go-ahead run and pitched his team to a win for a nonconference split with Gold Beach in Game 2 of a doubleheader.

In the top of the fifth, Roohr scored on Daniel Perston's sacrifice fly after he had singled and advanced two bases on consecutive passed balls.

After a shaky first inning, where he gave up back-to-back homers by Garrett Litterell and Dustin Carter, the junior right-hander was solid and finished with 12 strikeouts and only one walk on 79 pitches in seven innings.

DeAndre Harris went 2-for-3 for the Chieftains (5-5).

Rogue River's Dylan Devish was 3-for-3 with a double in both contests. Tyler Sakraida went 2-for-3 in the opener.

Litterell hit two home runs in the opener, including a second-inning grand slam, and finished with five RBIs. He had three homers and seven RBIs overall.

BANDON INVITATIONAL — At Bandon, defending Class 3A/2A/1A state champion St. Mary's scored an impressive showing over a solid field that included perennial power Westside Christian, which took third last year, in a 12-team event on the Bandon Trails Golf Course.

Dylan Wu and Will Street each finished with 74s and were joined by Joshua Wu (78) and Jeremy Wu (80) to post a team total of 306.

Westside Christian finished runner-up at 332, followed by Rogue River (340), Eagle Point (341) and Cascade Christian (352). Crater was sixth at 366.